


Getting Dates

by Sadie Dragonfire (justbolts)



Category: Naruto
Genre: 30 Kisses Challenge, M/M, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Pre-Relationship, setting up your friends on dates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-06-20
Updated: 2005-06-20
Packaged: 2020-09-25 05:57:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20371828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justbolts/pseuds/Sadie%20Dragonfire
Summary: Temari makes it her duty in life to see that Shikamaru 'finds a man'.Whether he needs the help or not is up for debate.





	Getting Dates

**Author's Note:**

> Re-posted from FF.net with minor edits.

"No, no, never in any life time, no, maybe, oh my god." 

Temari paused in her recitation of disapproval to form a disgusted face, eyes shamelessly scanning the focus of her attention with no care for how the young man on the other end of it might feel. 

"No wonder you don't have a boyfriend, the selection around here is shitty."

Sitting across from her with his elbows taking up most of the their little street side café table, Shikamaru let out a tired sigh.

"Stop glaring like that, Temari, you're going to give him a heart attack," he said in a low drawl,.

"Tsk." She snatched up her glass in one long fingered hand and took a long pull on the straw. "I'm going to bring you home to Sand with me," she said, "Show you what real men look like."

"I don't need any dating help," he said, scowling in annoyance. If he'd known that the Sand jounin was going to latch onto his sexuality like this, he would have put more effort into hiding it.

"Who said anything about dating?" Temari said around her straw, giving him a sideways look, "I'd settle for just getting you laid."

"When did I become your pet project?" Shikamaru groused. Around them, the noontime crowd moved in ebbs and flows of action and speech. It was lively without being rushed; the relaxed but purposefully atmosphere of a village that was doing well for itself.

"When I saved your life," Temari said as she crossed her legs under the yukata she'd taken to wearing during her visit. It was an unspeakably impractical outfit and when he'd questioned her on it, she had tightly replied that she was an official representative of her village and it would be in his best interest not to bring it up again.

"That was years ago," he protested half-heartedly. He rubbed above his left eyebrow with fingers cold and damp from his iced tea glass.

"Uh huh." The point was clearly not up for discussion. "Hey, you know that person, right?" Temari gestured with her glass.

Shikamaru braced his chin against his fist and slowly drifted his attention in the indicated direction. Recognition brightened his otherwise sullen and bored expression.

"Yeah, that's Hyuuga Neji," he said, watching the young jounin stop and engage in a conversation with an associate, "He was on my team for that failed retrieval mission. We've worked together a few other times since then."

"Thought he looked familiar. He's a lot less bloody this time," Temari said, eyebrow rising as the skin around Shikamaru's eyes flinched slightly at the reminder. "Hmm...you know..." she trailed off thoughtfully, nail taping the side of her cup and fierce blue eyes full of speculation.

Shikamaru was instantly suspicious. "No."

"He's cute," she said, ignoring him, "Oi, Hyuuga!" The last was shouted as Temari half-rose from her chair, hand cupping around the side of her mouth to project her voice. When Neji turned his head their way to acknowledge the summon, she waved him over. He nodded once in acceptance and finished up his conversation.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, mentally bemoaning the orders that left him playing guard duty to this monster woman. Temari settled back into her chair with a smug little smirk.

"You're insane," he said flatly as Neji started toward their table.

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing," Temari said with a sniff, putting down her glass with a click and gripping her knee with both hands.

"Temari-san, Shikamaru," the jounin said in a neutral tone when he reached them, stopping a few feet before their table. The same neutrality carried over to his expression; brows smooth below his headband and lips resting together lightly. It wasn't an open or welcoming expression, and there was a definite sense of self-importance in the way he carried himself, but it also wasn't the same cold haughtiness that would have been there less then three years ago.

"Neji," Shikamaru said in greeting, leaning back in his chair. Scheming kunoichi aside, Neji was one of his co-workers and superiors.

"You doing anything tonight?" Temari asked flat out. With her back ramrod straight and her eyes narrowed fiercely, she looked less like someone trying to set up a friend than someone conducting an invasion on a foreign country.

Neji frowned slightly, white eyes evaluating the women addressing him so abruptly. "I am having dinner with my clan. Did you require assistance with something?" All of sudden, Neji's focus shifted. "I was under the impression that Shikamaru was supposed to attend to your needs while in Konoha."

Temari's eyebrows flew up when Shikamaru let out a dark chuckle.

"I warned them I'd start shirking my duties first chance I got," Shikamaru said, folding his arms behind his head.

"I'm just surprised it took this long," Neji said in clear disapproval that was at odds with the faint smirk lurking around the corners of his mouth. He seemed to gather himself and nodded to Temari.

She watched them both in wry amusement. "We could use a third head while we're going over the last of the exam paperwork this evening." There was a small mountain of forms and treaties that had to be signed, double, and triple checked before Sand could begin opening its gates to the other villages.

"Afterward you can take that -" Temari flicked her fingers at Shikamaru "- out to dinner and off my hands for the night."

Neji pressed his lips together, considering, then inclined his head. "That is acceptable. What time should we meet?"

After discussing the details of their get together, Neji excused himself to wrap up his other business.

"Well, well," Temari said once he'd gone, "Looks like you'll be getting lucky tonight after all."

"Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about." Shikamaru pushed back from the table, genuinely annoyed with her at this point. The protest was more whiny then angry though and Temari brushed it away with a laugh.

"Better practice your kissing," she taunted him, puckering her lips, "You know, I bet he's a - "

"I'm not listening to you anymore."


End file.
